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Teeside-based Thornaby Football Club is facing criticism after it announced that it would be dropping its entire women’s section.

Thornaby FC's committee said its future was in doubt after a "difficult year" and progressing without the women was the only way to continue.

This means there'll be no girls teams from Under-7s through to Under-15's or a women’s side, leaving 100 players without a club.

There’s been a huge outcry locally and nationally since the decision was made. Lioness Beth Mead said she was ‘disgusted’. Yesterday, the entire board of Thornaby FC resigned, leaving only two committee members who had originally voted to keep the women’s team.

Abbey Lyle, first team manager of the women’s side, spoke to Woman’s Hour’s Clare McDonnell about how hard it was to process the decision.

Crossbench peer and Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson also joined Clare to discuss what happened. She said that she understands the pressure on local clubs nowadays, but that ‘women and girls deserve better’.

We approached Thornaby FC for a response and we heard from Philip Genery, who was one of two board members who had wanted to keep the women’s team. He remains on the board and says he ‘wants Thornaby FC to be an open and encouraging environment for women. We plan to build a new diverse and wide-ranging board alongside representatives from the women’s team’.

You can listen to this full discussion, which also featured Stephanie Hilborne, CEO of Women in Sport, on Â鶹ԼÅÄ Sounds – it’s the Woman’s Hour episode from Tuesday 11 June.

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